help 2012 mac mini!!!!

[MacOSXuser]

I bought a new mac mini and immediately i replaced the hard drive with my old hard drive(10.8 white unibody macbook), but when i boot it up, it shows the apple logo and doesnt load, what's going on?

[iammike1]

Well I'm going to pin it on the fact your installation of OS X is setup for your MacBook, not your Mini.

I, personally, avoid swapping OS drives without reinstalling the OS. If it's just a data drive it usually just works out of the box.

[Darby67]

Yep, the version of OSX on your MB is not compatible with your Mini. Check several threads here on or the net on how to fix this.

[MacOSXuser]

can someone post the link on how i can fix it??

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do i actually have to reformat the drive ?

[Mojo1]

www.google.com

[Darby67]

Did you clone a recovery partition from the original drive over?

Probably the easiest thing for you to do is put the original Mini HD back in and move all of your documents and necessary programs over to it.

Ultimately you either need to migrate the original OS (Carbon Copy Cloner, etc) that came installed on the Mini HD or you need a Recovery Partition that will very slowly allow you to install the necessary OS.

You'll have to wait for Apple to release an updated version of ML that unifies the OS for all new current devices.

[xlii]

Put the original drives back into both the mini and the macbook. Check that the macbook boots. Now start up the new mini and run migration assistant. It will give you several ways to transfer your data from your macbook to your new mini. I just did this to transfer my accounts and data from my 2009 mbp to my 2012 mini and it was very easy, painless, and yes everything is working just great.

PS The mini ships with 10.8.1. To update to 10.8.2 you need to download it from apples website. Software update did not work for me. The 10.8.2 you need is a special build that will only work on the new mini's and the new 13" mbp that was just released. So read the release notes to make sure you get the correct 10.8.2 for your machine.

[MacOSXuser]

btw it doesnt come with restore usb or discs, how r u suppose to restore it if u want to?

[StevenT42]

Originally Posted by MacOSXuser

btw it doesnt come with restore usb or discs, how r u suppose to restore it if u want to?

You boot in recovery mode (command-R) and download the Mac OS X installer from Apple.

The advice to replace the drives in their original machines and run Migration Assistant is the way to go...as long as you have not formatted the original drive in the new mini.

[MacOSXuser]

i formatted the original drive, so i can use it as time machine to backup my macbook ssd. I am going to format my macbook ssd later and put it in my Mini, then use command R to install OSX, finally migration assistance to transfer the file.

Is it better if I just use the time machine backup and restore the ssd, or download the installer then use migration assistant?

[StevenT42]

Originally Posted by MacOSXuser

i formatted the original drive, so i can use it as time machine to backup my macbook ssd. I am going to format my macbook ssd later and put it in my Mini, then use command R to install OSX, finally migration assistance to transfer the file.

Is it better if I just use the time machine backup and restore the ssd, or download the installer then use migration assistant?

It sounds like you formatted the drive that came out of your new Mac mini, losing the operating system, the iLife apps, and the recovery partition. If that is not the case, all you have to do is replace the mini's hard drive in the mini and run migration assistant.

If you formatted the new mini's drive, but still have a recovery partition, you can load the OS again by booting into recovery mode. Then after that install is complete, when you boot the OS, you can run Migration Assistant to transfer the files from your MacBook.

If you don't have a recovery partition, and you formatted the drive, you need to contact Apple to ask them for a recovery USB stick. Install the OS from that USB stick, and run Migration Assistant from your MacBook.

[tears2040]

Originally Posted by StevenT42

It sounds like you formatted the drive that came out of your new Mac mini, losing the operating system, the iLife apps, and the recovery partition. If that is not the case, all you have to do is replace the mini's hard drive in the mini and run migration assistant.

If you formatted the new mini's drive, but still have a recovery partition, you can load the OS again by booting into recovery mode. Then after that install is complete, when you boot the OS, you can run Migration Assistant to transfer the files from your MacBook.

If you don't have a recovery partition, and you formatted the drive, you need to contact Apple to ask them for a recovery USB stick. Install the OS from that USB stick, and run Migration Assistant from your MacBook.

No.......

You can download Mountain Lion from online. Your computer will recognize No OS is installed and will connect to Apple Servers and download the operating system.....

[StevenT42]

Originally Posted by tears2040

No.......

You can download Mountain Lion from online. Your computer will recognize No OS is installed and will connect to Apple Servers and download the operating system.....

My understanding is that the version of Mountain Lion on the Mac App Store is not compatible with the new mini yet...

Plus, the only way to get to the software if you don't have Mac App Store is through the recovery partition.

[philipma1957]

basically the op has f'd up. he needs to a find a friend with a new mac mini that has the same operating system i.e. a 2.3 quad if it is a 2.3 quad or a 2.5 duo if it is a 2.5 duo.

he could also swap the oem drive back erased and return it. a lie.

he could go to an apple store tell the truth and ask for mercy since he has voided the warranty.

[MacOSXuser]

just did a command +R, fresh copy of OSX from apple automatically downloaded from apple server. Did migration assistant afterwards, all good.

[Darby67]

Good news, good luck!

[Yebubbleman]

Originally Posted by MacOSXuser

I bought a new mac mini and immediately i replaced the hard drive with my old hard drive(10.8 white unibody macbook), but when i boot it up, it shows the apple logo and doesnt load, what's going on?

First off, why did you do this? If it is the stock hard drive, then what you have in the Mac mini is superior, in capacity if nothing else.

Secondly, your Mac mini requires no older a version of OS X than the specific build of OS X that it shipped with. You need OS X 10.8.2 Mountain Lion, and not the same build that those of us with computers that predate 10.8.2 have, but the one specific to your computer (presumably, builds of 10.8.3 will be universal between your machine and older ones). So, assuming you're dead-set on still using this older drive, you will need to wipe your drive and re-install. The safest means of doing this is booting up your computer via Internet Recovery by holding down (in order) Command-Option-R at boot. That'll force boot to Internet Recovery where you can wipe the OS and then download/run/install the version of 10.8.2 that your mini requires.

Originally Posted by iammike1

Well I'm going to pin it on the fact your installation of OS X is setup for your MacBook, not your Mini.

I, personally, avoid swapping OS drives without reinstalling the OS. If it's just a data drive it usually just works out of the box.

Ding ding ding! OP, listen to this person, they know what they're talking about!

[thekev]

Originally Posted by philipma1957

basically the op has f'd up. he needs to a find a friend with a new mac mini that has the same operating system i.e. a 2.3 quad if it is a 2.3 quad or a 2.5 duo if it is a 2.5 duo.

he could also swap the oem drive back erased and return it. a lie.

he could go to an apple store tell the truth and ask for mercy since he has voided the warranty.

Do you have anything to support this or is it just another trash post? Wiping a drive doesn't void warranties, as that is considered software. There's absolutely nothing dishonest about replacing it with the original drive. The same goes for ram. The original components are warrantied by Apple. They won't warranty your third party ram, nor should they be responsible to test it. You should stop posting overly dramatic baseless trash advice when it's as simple as putting in the original drive, then requesting help reinstalling the OS. This isn't dishonest unless he physically broke something in the process.

[jpxdude]

Originally Posted by thekev

Do you have anything to support this or is it just another trash post? Wiping a drive doesn't void warranties, as that is considered software. There's absolutely nothing dishonest about replacing it with the original drive. The same goes for ram. The original components are warrantied by Apple. They won't warranty your third party ram, nor should they be responsible to test it. You should stop posting overly dramatic baseless trash advice when it's as simple as putting in the original drive, then requesting help reinstalling the OS. This isn't dishonest unless he physically broke something in the process.

They're not wrong. Replacing your HD voids your warranty. It only covers RAM replacement at most.

[thekev]

Originally Posted by jpxdude

They're not wrong. Replacing your HD voids your warranty. It only covers RAM replacement at most.

I'm not sure when that changed, although I did dig it up in one of their pdfs. The attitude of that post was still asinine, as it suggests he is somehow cheating Apple by putting the drive back in place.

Just for reference, here is what I located. I hate policies like that. The drive is the thing that should be replaceable given that it's the most failure prone thing in the machine. I'd never tell someone to take a drive several years old out of a machine for their new one. That older drive should be close to retirement at this point, but it isn't scamming Apple. We aren't talking about an attempt to conceal water damage.

Do Not Make Repairs Yourself
Your Mac mini doesn’t have any user-serviceable parts,
except for memory. Do not attempt to replace or repair any
other components inside your Mac mini. If your Mac mini
needs service, consult an Apple Authorized Service Provider
or Apple.
WARNING: Making adjustments or performing
procedures other than replacing memory may result in
hazardous radiation exposure.
If you install items other than memory, you risk damaging
your equipment, and such damage isn’t covered by the
limited warranty on your Mac mini.
WARNING: Never push objects of any kind into this
product through the ventilation openings in the case.
Doing so may be dangerous and damage your computer.

[Yebubbleman]

Originally Posted by thekev

I'm not sure when that changed, although I did dig it up in one of their pdfs.

It never changed. Though you might be mistaking that for the policy on non-retina Unibody MacBook Pros which states that you can replace the RAM and/or the hard drive without voiding AppleCare on the rest of the computer.

Originally Posted by thekev

The attitude of that post was still asinine, as it suggests he is somehow cheating Apple by putting the drive back in place.

Agreed. Though, he's not cheating Apple. However, Apple's policy is that if they can see that you tampered with it, they will deny you complimentary service as you were not supposed to tamper with it and (by their logic) you tampering with it is to blame for the problems you are having.

Originally Posted by thekev

Just for reference, here is what I located. I hate policies like that. The drive is the thing that should be replaceable given that it's the most failure prone thing in the machine. I'd never tell someone to take a drive several years old out of a machine for their new one. That older drive should be close to retirement at this point, but it isn't scamming Apple. We aren't talking about an attempt to conceal water damage.

Agreed. Completely. Though, putting in the older drive into the newer Mac would rightfully cause warranty service to be denied (unless, that is, the original drive could be reinstalled as though it was never messed with to begin with).

[blanka]

Geeze.... Would you expect Apple to demand this difficult hardware swap to start using a new computer with your old data? Never heard of migration assistant?

[thekev]

Originally Posted by Yebubbleman

Agreed. Though, he's not cheating Apple. However, Apple's policy is that if they can see that you tampered with it, they will deny you complimentary service as you were not supposed to tamper with it and (by their logic) you tampering with it is to blame for the problems you are having.

I know that. I also checked ifixit for reference. Typically Apple uses anti-tamper screw variants on anything non - user serviceable to make it obvious. It didn't mention the use of any there or in the list of required tools. The most exotic thing mentioned was a torx driver. I was saying that if the original drive was put back in its place without internal damage, it's just a software thing at that point. Breaking anything internally in the process of making these adjustments would definitely count as signs of tampering. It was just annoying to suggest requesting help with reinstalling the OS is cheating Apple. The suggestion to ask a friend with a similar machine was a worse idea than just making a genius bar appointment.

I'm not sure that I had that confused with anything, but I thought this was a supported upgrade. In any case I'd tell people to return the hardware to factory configuration prior to taking it in for service, even on supported upgrades. This way Apple only examines hardware that is covered by their warranty.

[Yebubbleman]

Originally Posted by thekev

I know that. I also checked ifixit for reference. Typically Apple uses anti-tamper screw variants on anything non - user serviceable to make it obvious. It didn't mention the use of any there or in the list of required tools. The most exotic thing mentioned was a torx driver. I was saying that if the original drive was put back in its place without internal damage, it's just a software thing at that point. Breaking anything internally in the process of making these adjustments would definitely count as signs of tampering. It was just annoying to suggest requesting help with reinstalling the OS is cheating Apple. The suggestion to ask a friend with a similar machine was a worse idea than just making a genius bar appointment.

Ah...yeah, didn't see that. Yeah, requesting help with reinstalling the OS wouldn't be cheating Apple, indeed. But requesting technical help down the road when such a swap was obvious would be. Though we seem to be in agreement of that.

Originally Posted by thekev

I'm not sure that I had that confused with anything, but I thought this was a supported upgrade. In any case I'd tell people to return the hardware to factory configuration prior to taking it in for service, even on supported upgrades. This way Apple only examines hardware that is covered by their warranty.

Yeah, no that makes sense. Irritating that the non-retina MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro are the only Macs that will allow you to service/replace your own drive and not have that be a warranty-voider. The Mac minis aren't that hard to replace the drive of. iMacs, I agree, you shouldn't try at home, but even the retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air shouldn't be a warranty-voiding exercise given that it's the simple removal of 11 screws and an installation with ease comparable to a RAM upgrade. Gotta love the direction Apple is taking the Mac product line.

[StevenT42]

Originally Posted by MacOSXuser

just did a command +R, fresh copy of OSX from apple automatically downloaded from apple server. Did migration assistant afterwards, all good.

Good, so you didn't nuke the recovery partition.

Did your iLife apps come back, or do you have to download them from the App Store, or is that option even available?